Verizon may offer an extra $100 off iPhone 5

Looking to score a new iPhone 5, but not ready to drop a lot of money on one? Without a contract with a mobile carrier, the iOS device will set you back anywhere from $650 to $850. Even with a two-year agreement, you’ll still have to shell out $200 to $400 to get your hands on one.

As @evleaks reports, Verizon may be gearing itself up for a promotion that could help get you a whole lot closer to your dream of owning an iPhone. Twitter user @evleaks, who is behind the initial revelation of a plethora of mobile rumors, tweeted that the mobile carrier is planning to offer iPhone 5’s to its users, both current and new, for an additional $100 off the contract rate.

The promo, which, if real, is expected to start in the next couple of weeks, though there’s no word as to exactly how long it will be offered.

One question we can’t help but ask is: why would Verizon want to offer an additional discount, when users agreeing to a two-year contract already get $450 off the retail value of the device? It could be a response to the news that T-Mobile has done away with contracts altogether, which may be extremely enticing for those not wanting to have to make such a lengthy commitment. Verizon could be incentivizing potential customers with the prospect of getting a top mobile device for the best possible rate, rather than paying top dollar, which they’d have to do if they decide to go the T-Mobile route.

Or it could just be Verizon’s way of quickly getting rid of its surplus supply of iPhone 5S, hinting at the idea that the 5s release may be fast approaching.

But no matter the reason, we won’t have to wait that long to see if it’s actually going to happen.